Air-brake apparatus.



H. F. BIGKEL.

AIR BRAKE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1, 1908.

962,546. Patented June 28, 1910.

8 I {17( 50 3 J I I nirrn srx'ras HENRY r. BIGKEL,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO NEW YORK AIR BRAKE COMPANY, ACORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

AIR-BRAKE APPARATUS.

.1 Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed June 1, 1908.Serial No. 436,036.

Patented June 28, 1910.

brake apparatus and consists in novel features of construction of thetriple valve.

One of the objects of the invention is to control the exhaust of airfrom the brake cylinders in the releasing operation in such manner thatthe release of the brakes near the head of a train is retarded ordelayed relative to that of the brakes toward the rear of the train.This is especially desirable on lon trains when the brakes are releasedwhi e the train is running, as it tends to keep the train bunchedtogether at the couplings, the cars at the forward end of the trainremaining retarded until those at the rear end are fully released. Thisresult is accomplished by the employment, in combination with the triplevalve proper and graduating valve operated by the triple valve piston inthe usual manner, of a supplemental or exhaust controlling valve whichis operated when the train pipe pressure is strongly in excess ofauxiliary reservoir pressure, in such manner as to shut ofi the mainexhaust passage from the brake cylinder and to leave effective only anexhaustpassage of relatively smallcapacity, so that the air will beexhausted from the brake cylinder relatively slowly, as compared withthe exhaust in the equipment in which the exhaust controlling valve hasnot been thus operated. On a long train, the train pipe pressure, whenadmitted for the purpose of releasing the brakes, will not rise to sohigh 'a point toward the rear end of the train, as near the front end,by reason of the friction in the train pipe, with the result that, atthe beginning of the release operation, the exhaust controlling valvewill be-operated by the greater preponderance of train pipe pressureover auxiliary reservoir pressure on the cars near the head of thetrain, (the first twenty cars, more or less,) while on the cars fartherto the rear the preponderance of train pipe pressure over auxiliaryreservoir pressure train pipe directly to I and Fig. 6 is a longitudinalsection,

will not be sufficient to operate the exhaust controlling valve, butwill. operate the main valve in the usual manner to 0 en the mainexhaust from the brake cylinders, causing them to release the brakespromptly, while the brakes at the head of the train are releasing moreslowly through the smaller exhaust passage only, and, therefore, keepthe forward part of the train retarded until the cars toward the rearhave run forward as is desired in the release operation. Provision isalso made in the main valve and graduating valve of the triple valvewhereby the 'air is admitted from the train pipe to theauxiliaryreservoir for recharging the latter through an additionalpassage, besides the enough to take up the slack in the couplings, v

usual feed groove past the triple valve piston, and whereby air isadmitted from the the brake cylinder in making service applications ofthe brakes.

Fi re 1 is a longitudinal section, on line 02 Fig. 2, of a triple valvefor an automatic air brake apparatus embodying this invention, with theparts in the position occupied when the brakes are released, which willbe referred to as the normal position; Fig. 2 is a transverse sectionthereof on line M, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan View of the valve seat andof the several movable valves; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section, on lineat of Fig. 2, but

with the parts in the position occupied in making a service applicationof the brakes; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section on line as, Fig. 2, alsowith the parts in the occupied in making a service application; on line00 of Fig. 2, with the parts in the position occupied in making a slowrelease of the brakes.

In its main working elements the triple valve is similar to those thathave been in extensive use. It comprises a main body or shell 1, havinga space or chamber 2 communicating with the auxiliary reservoir, and aspace or chamber 3 communicating wit the train pipe, and containing thetriple "valve piston 4:which is subjected to train one side (the lefthand, as seen in Fig. 1), and to auxiliary reservoir pressure at theother side. There is a feed groove 5 which alfords communication pastthe piston 4 when near the limit of its movement toward the ri ht hand,as shown in Fig. 1, through whic air may feed from the pipe pressure onposition after described train pipe into the auxiliary reservoir untilthe latter is charged to the same pressure as that in the train pipe.The .rod or stem .6. of the triple valve piston 4 engages with thegraduating valve 7 so as to move the same upon the main valve 8 when thetriple valve plston is moved by the preponderance of pressure upon oneor the other side thereof, and the said piston stem 6 has should'ers'9and 10 which receive the main valve 8 between them, but are fartherapart than the length of said main valve, so that the piston andraduating valve may have a movement independent of the main valve untilone or the other of the said shoulders engages the said main valve andcauses it to accompany the piston and graduating valve in the furthermovement.

5 The'features thus far described are substantially the same as havebeen heretofore employed, and operate in the usual manner to perform theusual functions, namely to control the flow of air relative to the trainpipe, auxiliary reservoir, brake cylinder, and atmos here, by passagescontained in and contro led by the said valves which will be hereinafterdescribed. I

Referring now tothe novelor distinctive features of theconstruction ofthe tri le valve appliance, the's'pace or chamber 12 elow' the seat ofthe main valve 8, communicates'with the brake cylinder in the usualmanner, and also communicates throu h the small passage 13 with thebrake cy 'nder supply and exhaust ort 14 having openings 15 and 16 inthe valve seat, the openingl15 being controlled by the main valve 8 w'ch has a cavity 17 (see Figs. 3 and 4) which, in the release positionof the main valve 8 (either the usual or normal'release positionw or theslowrelease provided for, as hereinconnects the brake cylinder port 14at the port opening 15 with the exaust port 18 leadingl other point fordisc brake cylinders. The

to the atmosphere, or argeof air om the port. opening 16 from the brakecylinder port 14; is controlled by a supplementary or exhaustcontrolling valve 19 which is engaged by shoulders on a stem or plun er20 acted upon by a spring 21 which ten s to retain the said valve 19 inthe position shown in Fig. 1, but yields to permit the valve to be movedtoward the right to the position shown in Fig. 6, when acted upon-by asulficient pressure to overcome the force of said spring. When theexhaust controlling valve 19 is in its normal position, as shown in Fig.1, its cavity connects the passage 14, 16 with a passage 22 ofrelatively large capacity as compared with the passage 13, leading tothe brake cylinder chamber 12, so that with the parts in normalposition, as shown in Fig. 1, there is a free exhaust from the brakecylinder,

1 sage 1 1," and thence through the passage 22, valve 19, passages I 16,14,115, and cavity 17 in the main valve 8, to, e final exhaust 18, andwith the parts in this position the air release of the rakes pertainingthereto. The stem 6 of the triple valve piston 4, when moved toward theright by preponderance of train pipe pressure over auxi ia reservoirpressure, engages the stem 20 o the exhaust controlling valve 19, and iftrainpipe pressure is only moderately greater than t e auxiliaryreservoir pressure, the spring 21 will cause the triple valve piston tobe arrested in the osition shown in Fig. 1, and air will feed t roughthe feed groove 5 past the piston fromthe'train pi e into the auxiliaryreservoir in the usua manner, while the exhaust from the brake takeplace romptly through the passage 22 and contro ling valve 19, andassages 16, 14,15, 17, 18, as before describ as well as through thesmall passage 13 into the pass to the final exhaust passage 18. If,however, train pipe pressure preponderates more strongly over auxiliaryreservoir pressure,'it will cause the spring 21 to be compressed, andwill admit of the further movement of the piston 4 to the excylinderwill will exhaust rapidly from the brake cylinder and cause a prompttreme right of traverse, to the position shown in Fig.- 6, .carryin wlthit the exhaust ment, wi haust passage 14, a thus render the passage 22non-effective, and the exhaust from the brake cylinder will be onlythrough the small passage 13 into the passa es 14, 15, 17 and 18, sothat the brakes will relatively slowly.

It is to be observed that the exhaust cavity 17 in the main valve 8 isof such size and location that it effectively connects the passages 15and 18 when said valve 8 is moved 9, as seen in Fig. 1) at which thetriple valve piston isarrestedl by engagement with the stem 20 of theexhaust controlling valve, as when train pipe pressure does notpreponderate over auxiliary reservoir pressure sufliciently to overcomethe spring 21, and also when the said main valve is in the position towhich it is carried by the the'train pipe pressure on the triple valvepiston preponderates sufiiciently to compress the spring 21 and shiftthe exhaust controlling valve 19, as shown in Fig. 6, as well as whensaid valve 8 is at any point between these positions.

be released -only to the position (against the shoulder shoulder 9 whenIt will be recognized that the action of the.

exhaust controlling valve 19 is automatic, and that in the releaseoperation it will be shifted on the cars near the head of the' train,because of the greater preponderance of train pipe pressure over that inthe auxtoward the rear part.

1l1ary reservoir, while,

of the train where the preponderance ofg'l30 controllin .valve' 19 wich, by this moveclose the gpening' 16 into the extrain;pipe pressure isless, by reason of the friction in the train pipe, and of the feeding ofair into the auxiliary reservoirs to-.

ward the head of the train, it will be insufiicient to overcome thespring 21, and, in the release operation, the parts will move merely tothe position shown in Fig. 1 (except that the main valve 8 will beagainst the shoulder 9) and the air will be exhausted from the brakecylinders promptly and practically the same as in the operation oftriple valves heretofore commonly used. In those equipments near thehead of the train in which the exhaust controlling valve 19 has beenshifted by a preponderance of train pipe pressure,

as above described, the spring 21 will act to shift the said valve 19back to the normal position, carrying the triple valve piston 4: and thegraduating valve 7 with it in this movement, as soon as the auxiliaryreservoir is charged to approximately the same pressure as that-in thetrain pipe, so that the parts will stand in the position shown in Fig. 1

when the brakes are released and the system is charged, or in normalcondition ready to .make another application of the brakes.

communication with a: passage 26 in the main valve seat, whichcommunicates by passage 27 (shown in dotted lines .in Fig. 2)

with a passage 28 communicating with a space or chamber 29 whichcommunicates by a passage controlled by a check valve 30 with the spaceor chamber 3 that communicates with the train pipe, so that train pipepressure, being in preponderance over auxiliary reservoir pressure,opens the check valve 30, and air feeds past the same into the chamber29, and thence through passages 28, 27, 26, 25 into the main chamber 2of the triple valvethat communicates with the auxiliary reservoir whichis thus charged more rapidly than would be the case if replenished onlythrough the usual feed groove 5. The check valve, 30 prevents back flowfrom the auxiliary reservoir into-the train pipe, so that theefi'ect ofauxiliary reservoir pressure to move the triple valve piston toward theleft from the position shown'in: Fig.1 when the train pipe pressure isreduced 1s notimpaired.

In order to make a service application of the brakes the. train pipepressure is reduced as-usual, a greatervor less-amount, according totheforce of application desired, and such reduction leaves the pressurein the auxiliary reservoir in preponderance, so that it forces thepiston 4 toward the left, to the point where it is arrested by thespring pressed plunger 31 which prevents further movement of the pistonwhen the reduction in train pipe pressure is made relatively slowly, asin service applications. In this movement of the triple valve piston 4,the graduating valve 7 moves on the main valve 8 until the shoulder 10of the piston rod engages the mainvalve, after which the latter moves onthe main valve seat without further change in relative position of themain and graduating valves, the valves coming to the position shown inFigs. 4 and 5. The,movement of the graduating valve on the main valveuncovers the through port 32 in the main valve (see Fig. 4:) and alsobrings the cavity 33 in the graduating valve in position to connect thethrough passage 134 in the main valve with the passage 36 'therethrough,as shown in Fig. 5. With the -main and graduating valves in thisposition,

the movement of the main valve on its seat brings the passage 32therethrough into communication with the passage 15 in the valve seat,(see Fig. 4) so that air from the auxiliary reservoir may pass by thegraduatingvalve through the passage 32 inthe main valve into the passage15, and thence by passage 13 and by passages 16 and 22 and the cavity inthe exhaust controlling valve 19, into the chamber 12, and

thence into the brake cylinder, and thus.

cause the brakes to be applied by pressure from the auxiliary reservoirin the usual manner. At the same time, the passage 34 through the mainvalve (see Fig. 5) has been brought into communication with the nicationwith the passage 38 in the valve seat, which passage 38 leads to oneside of the emergency piston 39, as shown in Fig. 2, the space at theother side of said piston communicating with the chamber 12 that isconnected with the brake cylinder. As before explained, the passage 26communicates with the train pipe space 3 under control of the checkvalve 30, and, consequently, since train pipe pressure is in excess ofbrake cylinder pressure, air will pass from the train pipe through thecheck valve 30, into chamber 29, and by the passages 28, 27, 26, 34:, 33(in the graduating valve) 36 and 38, and t ence past the emergencypiston, which has a loose fit in its cylinder or small passage past it,into the chamber 12 and brake cylinder, which thus receives pressurefrom the train pipe, aswell as from the auxiliary reservoir in makingarservice application, Some partof the assage for airfrom :the trainpipe to the rake cylinder above depassage 26, and the passage 36 intocommui scribed must be made relatively smaller than the brake cylinder,as, for example. by making the through port 34; in the main valve of thepassage from the auxiliary reservoir to sufficiently small size, so thatin charging the brake cylinder the pressure in the auxiliary reservoirwill fall more rapidly than that in the train pipe, and as soon as theauxiliary reservoir pressure thus falls a trifle below the train pipepressure, the'preponderance of the latter on the piston 4, will move thesame toward the right, and in so doing, will shift the graduating valve7 on the main valve-8, but the latter will not iliary reservoir pressureon the triple valve piston which causes this movement of the igraduating valve to take place. The parts remain ii this position withthe brakes'ap-' plied with a force dependent upon the amount ofreduction in train pipe pressure that was made until some further changeof train pipe pressure is made, either a further reduction to increasethe braking pressure whichvwill result in a movement of the triplevalvepiston and graduating valve to,

the position in which they again establish communic'ationthrough thepassages 32 and 3a, as before described, or an increase in train pipepressure which causes the piston to be moved tothe right, and the air tobe exhausted from the brake cylinders and the auxiliary reservoirs to berecharged, as has been previously described.

In order to make an emergency applica tion of the brakes, the train pipepressure is suddenly reduced, leaving the auxiliary reservoir pressuregreatly in preponderanceso that the piston 4 makes its traverse t0-wardthe left promptly, and upon encountering the spring pressed. plunger31 compresses the spring thereof and moves a short distance beyond theposition above described which it occupies in making serviceapplications. In this further mbvement,

the main valve, which is recessed at 40, uncovers the port 38, so thatthe auxiliary reservoir pressure is admitted to act upon the:

emergency piston 39, (see Fig. 2) and moves it forcibly toward theright,'from the posi tion shown in Fig. 2, so that it opens the springpressed emergency valve 41 controllin communication between the chamber29 an the brake cylinder chamber 12, so that train pipe pressure in thechamber 3 opens the check valve 30 and passes through chamber 29 andpast valve 41 into the chamber 12, and thence into the brake cylinder.At the same time, the recess 42 inthe main valve uncovers the port 15 inthe valve seat,

so that air flows from the auxiliary reservoir through said recess 12into theport 15 and thence into the ort 14:, and thence into the brakecylinder, t e same as in the service application before described. Theopening of the emergency valve 41 and flow of train pipe air into thebrake cylinder, as has been described, is practically instantaneous, andas soon as the pressure in the train pipe falls below that in the brakecylinder, the check valve 30 closes, and with the piston 1 cuts mainvalve governing the exhaust of air from the brake cylinder, and anindependently movable .exhaust controlling valve and a triple valvepistonadapted to actuate both the said valves whereby the exhaust may becausedto take place through passages of different capacity dependentupon the preponderance of pressure acting upon said triple valve piston,substantially as and for the purpose described.

2.-Thecombination of the main valve and its actuating1 piston of atriple valve, with an indepen exhaust control-ling valve; and anactuating spring therefor, sald controlling valve being adapted to beactuated by the triple valve plston and said actuating spring,substantially as described,

3. In a triple valve for an automatic air brake apparatus, thecombination of the main valve and its actuating piston, and anindependently movable sprmg-actuated exhaust controlling valve; ofpassages communicating with the brake cylinder. and .controlled by saidmain and exhaust controlling valves, whereby exhaust passages ofdifferent capacity for discharge of air from the brake cylinder areprovided, substantially as and for the purpose described,

' L. In a triple valve for an automatic air brake apparatus, thecombination of the main valve and its actuating piston and anindependently movable exhaust controlling valve; of a brakecylinderexhaust and-super.

ply passage having port openings in the seat of said main and exhaustcontrolling valves, said brake cylinder passage comprising a relativelysmall'passage constantly in communication with the port opening into theently movable brake cylinder main valve seat and a relatively largepassage controlled by the exhaust controlling valve, said exhaustcontrolling valve being actuated by a spring and by the triple valvepiston, and bemg moved to close the relatively large passage when thetriple valve piston is acted upon by sufiicient preponderance of trainpipe pressure to overcome the force of said spring, substantially asdescribed.

5. In .a triple valve for an automatic air brake apparatus, thecombination with the main valve and its actuating piston governingcommunications between the train pipe,

haust passage only to be afiorded when the train pipe pressurepreponderatesa greater amount, w ereby in the release operation thebrakes are released less promptly at the head than at the rear portionof a train.

6. In a triple valve for an automatic ail brake apparatus, thecombination of the main valve governing the exhaust of air from thebrakecylinder with an independently movable exhaust controlling valve wherebythe exhaust may be caused to take place at one time through a passage oflarge capacity, and at another time through a passage of small capacityonly, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

v HENRY F. BICKEL. Witnesses:

E. A. JOHNSON, E. G. PIERCE.

